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Changed, cancelled and missed appointments

Posted By Unhappy Continuous Patient

"Changed, cancelled and missed appointments"

About: Dumfries & Galloway Royal Infirmary / Combined Assessment Unit Dumfries & Galloway Royal Infirmary / Rheumatology

(as the patient),

I arrived for my rheumatology appointment as described on my letter at outpatients dept and was told the clinic had been moved again to bay 1 due to much needed beds.  This has happened on more than one occasion and I was having so much difficulty in walking I had to be wheelchaired round and back.  This has been going on for some time now.  I was asked if I had a phone call or text about the change but no.   

I also had a great deal of difficulty finding a blue badge parking bay as most of them had been filled with non-blue badge holders and it took me nearly 20 minutes to find a parking place. In my experience this hospital is a real shambles with changed locations, parking difficulties and cancelled appointments.  I have complained before through the feedback forms on more than one occasion never to have had a response and that is why I filled this out today.

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Responses

Response from Sara McMinn, Patient Services Team, NHS Dumfries and Galloway 3 days ago
Sara McMinn
Patient Services Team,
NHS Dumfries and Galloway

Submitted on 13/11/2025 at 13:57
Published on Care Opinion at 13:57

Dear Unhappy Continuous Patient,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and feedback with us. I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to you for the upset and distress your experience has caused.

I was so sorry to read of your experience whilst attending your recent rheumatology appointment. I note your concerns and the distress caused by the move of the clinic, the conflicting communication received, cancelled appointments and the difficulty finding a blue badge parking bay.

I am keen to investigate your concerns further so that we can better understand what happened and identify any learning and support. I would be grateful if you could please reach out to the Patient Services Team if you feel comfortable doing so. That would allow us to look into this further and ensure that we can provide you with any additional support as appropriate.

Our team can be reached by email at dg.patientservices@nhs.scot or by telephone on 01387 272733. If you do not feel able to contact us directly, or if you feel that you would benefit from extra assistance providing feedback, you can receive free, independent advice and support from the Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS). More information on their service can be found at https://pass-scotland.org.uk/.

I would like to thank you again for taking the time to share your feedback with us and I hope that you feel able to reach out to our team so that we can support you further.

Kind regards

Sara

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